Nothing Lasts Forever
by Dannii1996
Summary: Charlie seeks comfort in Brax after Angelo leaves her, but things start to get complicated when Brax wants out of the gang and lives are put in danger. Can Ruby and Casey's relationship survive when they are caught up in the mess and is Charlie willing to risk her job for love? (sorry, rubbish summary I know, I'm never good with these)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Charlie ran her hand over her stomach and exhaled lightly as she looked out across the beach and watched him with her. She knew she had to tell him she was pregnant with his child, but she was hurt and angry, and a part of her felt he didn't deserve to know the truth. Sighing lightly she brought her hand up to her face and wiped away the lone tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Hey, you alright?" Ruby asked as she sat down next to her and threw her school bag down on the sand in front of them.

"Yeah" Charlie held the tears back as she turned to face her daughter. "I'm okay" Charlie looked passed Ruby and once again found a tear falling down her cheek as she watched Angelo scooping George up into his arms with Nicole standing close, smiling up at him.

"Yeah?" Ruby questioned "Then what's this for, hmm?" Ruby said as she wiped away the tear that was rolling down her mother's cheek. Before Charlie replied to her daughter, Ruby had turned her head around and saw what Charlie was watching. "I hate them" Ruby seethed.

"Ruby" Charlie said. "Don't…."

"Well I do. She was my best friend and he was like a father to me. How could they do that to me? To you? To us? After we let her move in with us, after all the help and support you gave her when she found out she was having Penn's child, and she goes and sleeps with your boyfriend. And then him, after all you have been through to get to where you are today. He pushed at you to get you to commit and then when you finally did he goes and has an affair"

"Rubes…"

"And she's like what, 11 years younger than him? It's gross" Ruby spat as she stared at Nicole and Angelo with a look of pure disgust on her face. "You know everyone's on your side, Mum, so don't…."

"I don't care about that" Charlie said softly "I don't want people feeling sorry for me. I just want…" Charlie paused as she bowed her head down and once again ran her hand over her stomach. "What am I supposed to do about the baby?" Charlie asked as she looked up at Ruby. Ruby looked at her mother and looked into her tear glazed eyes.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as she reached forward and once again wiped a tear that fell down her mother's cheek. "You'll have the baby and you'll have me here to help. This kid will have the best big sister in the world, and the best Mum, we'll be fine" Ruby smiled as she gently patted Charlie's arm in comfort.

Charlie shook her head as she bit her lip. "I can't. Not without Angelo. Ruby I love him so much, I just want to be with him" Charlie fell into Ruby's arms as her tears became heavier.

"Charlie" Ruby said softly as she gently ran her hand though her mother's hair. "You deserve so much better than him. Anyone who can do that to you, they're not worth it"

"But I want to be with him" Charlie sniffed back even more tears as she sat back up and wiped her face.

"Why?" Ruby questioned "Mum, he cheated on you for months. Why would you want to be with someone who could do that to you?"

"I love him Ruby. I've never let myself…." Charlie trailed off as she looked up to find Angelo and Nicole walking towards them, Nicole pushing the pram, as George lay in Angelo's arms.

"Hey, Rubes" Nicole smiled down at her friend "How did you're exam go?"

"Just stay away from me" Ruby spat as she stood up from where she was sitting and picked up her school bag and flung it over her shoulder before she started to walk away.

"Charlie, can we talk?" Angelo asked as he looked down at Charlie. Charlie shook her head lightly as she stood to her feet. As much as she wanted to talk to Angelo, right now wasn't the right time.

"I need to go with Ruby" Charlie said as she ran after her daughter. "Rubes" Charlie shouted as she caught up with her. "Sweetie you don't have to stop being friends with Nicole just because of what happened with me and Angelo. She was…"

"She broke up my family Charlie" Ruby shouted as a tear rolled down her cheek. "She was my best friend. She knew how I felt about finally feeling like part of a family again after the truth came out and then she goes and ruins that's for me. I hate her. I hate them both" Charlie pulled her daughter into a hug as her tears became heavier.

"I'm sorry Rubes" Charlie sniffed back a tear as she comforted her daughter.

"It's not your fault" Ruby mumbled. "It was them, they…"

"No, I mean, I never even asked you how your exam went today"

"You've got more important things to worry about right now than my exams" Ruby said as she pulled back from the hug.

"Hey" Charlie shook her head as she wiped the tears from Ruby's cheeks. "You are the most important thing in my life Rubes" Ruby smiled lightly before she once again caught sight of Angelo and Nicole walking their way once more.

"Are they never going to give up?" Ruby sighed as she gestured for Charlie to look in the direction of Nicole and Angelo. Charlie pursed her lips together as she thought about talking with Angelo, and wondered what it was he wanted to say to her, but right now, Ruby was upset, and she would come before Angelo.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ruby opened the door to find Angelo standing at the other side. "What do you want?" Ruby spat. As she looked up at the man she once respected and looked up at as a father figure she felt nothing but hated and disgust, and on some level she also felt betrayed by him.

"Is Charlie in?" Angelo asked rather shyly, feeling uncomfortable by the vibes Ruby was giving off.

"What do you want her for?" Ruby spat as she shot Angelo a hateful look.

"Rubes, was that the door?" Charlie asked as she walked into the room. As she looked up and saw Angelo she felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling mixed with betrayal, hurt and anger, but she still felt the love that she had for him. "Angelo" Charlie spoke so quietly she was barely heard. She cleared her throat before walking closer to the door. "Come in"

"Seriously?" Ruby questioned as she gave her mother a confused look. "Why do you want to…"

"Rubes" Charlie interrupted "Go to your room please and let us talk"

Ruby sighed heavily as she shook her head at her mother. "I'm going to Casey's" Ruby shook her head once more as she pushed passed Angelo and slammed the door shut behind her.

"What's got her in that mood?" Angelo asked.

"Oh I don't know Angelo" Charlie yelled as she raised her hands out to the side "How about the man who she looked up to and respected as a father figure just left her mother for her best friend" As Charlie spoke she felt herself welling up with tears. Angelo had only left her a week before hand and everything was still very raw for Charlie, and having just found out she was pregnant was making things even more difficult for her.

"Look, Charlie, I never meant to hurt to you or Rubes" Angelo shook his head lightly as he took a step closer to Charlie and went to put his hand on her arm in an act of comfort as he saw a lone tear rolling down her cheek.

"Don't" Charlie put her hand out as she stepped back, not wanting Angelo to touch her. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Charlie asked as she wiped the tear from her cheek.

"Ehm, well I wanted to pick up the rest of my things" Angelo said as he looked around the room, noticing that anything he had left was actually nowhere to be seen.

"Ruby packed all your stuff up" Charlie said, now fighting back the wave of nausea that had suddenly hit her. "It's in the garage" Charlie spoke quietly as she lightly placed her hand onto her chest. "Excuse me" Charlie spoke quickly as she ran out of the living room, and along the hall and into the bathroom where she threw up. A few minutes later she returned to the living room to find Angelo still standing there looking rather confused at Charlie's quick exit from the room.

"You alright?" Angelo asked, sounding concerned for Charlie. "You sounded like you were being -"

"Don't act like you care about me now" Charlie spat. "You clearly didn't when -"

"Of course I care about you Charlie. I still love -"

"Don't" Charlie yelled as she once again found herself welling up with tears. "Don't you dare say you still love me"

"I do Charlie" Angelo said softly as he took a step closer to her. "But the love I have for Nicole, it's so strong and I've never felt that before"

Upon hearing Angelo's words, Charlie felt her heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. "So, you love her more than you've ever loved me?" Charlie asked tentatively, for she wasn't sure she really wanted to know his answer. Angelo stood silently as he broke eye contact with Charlie. This was enough for Charlie to know his answer. She loved Angelo more than she'd ever loved another partner before, and finding out that he loved another woman more than he loved her really hurt. "I let myself fall for you. I told you about Grant and I gave you my trust, 100 per cent of my trust" As Charlie spoke she tried her best to keep her voice from breaking as she felt like she was about to burst into tears. "You're the first person I ever let myself fall completely in love with because you made me believe that you loved me and that you'd never hurt me like Grant did. You broke down my wall and made me feel safe again, but then….." Charlie trailed off as she broke down into tears. Although she had had a few cries since Angelo left, this was the first time she really let herself go. She was always trying to stay strong, especially in front of Ruby as this had affected her so much as well, and on some levels Charlie felt it was a worse betrayal for Ruby, because not only had her father figure hurt her, but also her best friend had too.

"Charlie" Angelo spoke softly as he stepped forward and pulled her into a comforting hug. Charlie struggled for a few seconds, but then fell into Angelo as the tears continued to stream down her face. Angelo gently ran his hand through her hair as she cried in his arms. Charlie held tightly onto Angelo's t-shirt as she breathed in his smell as he held her in his arms. She loved his smell, and she felt safe when she was in his arms, but now she wouldn't have that, no matter how much she wanted it, because Angelo's heart was no longer in it.

"What did I do wrong?" Charlie voice was muffled as she still had her head pressed against Angelo's chest.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Charlie" Angelo said "Me and Nicole….it sort of just happened. She moved in and we started spending a lot more time together and then one day I just started to look at her differently. She was no longer just Ruby's friend. She was this beautiful young woman who I…."

"So it my fault" Charlie pulled back from Angelo and looked up to face him. "I made this happen"

"You didn't do anything -"

"But if I didn't let Nicole move in with us then maybe this wouldn't have happened" Charlie wiped a tear away from her cheek as she spoke. She was desperate to know why and how this happened. Desperate to find a reason. Desperate to know if there was anything that she could do differently if it meant Angelo giving things with her another shot. Although she was deeply hurt by what Angelo did to her, she loved him so much and there was a big part of her who would give him forgiveness if he said he'd made a mistake and wanted to be with her. Especially now she was pregnant with his child, she felt they should be together even more.

"Charlie this wasn't your fault" Angelo shook his head lightly "It was me and Nicole. We are the ones who had the affair. It's our fault….my fault for cheating on you. It was nothing you did. You are amazing. You are gorgeous, and funny and smart; you were a great girlfriend -"

"But if you think all that then wasn't I enough? If you think all that of me then why did you cheat on me?"

"I just fell for her, Charlie. It doesn't mean I changed what I thought about you, but Nicole, she's great Charlie and I want to see where things go with us" Angelo spoke softly as he tried to let Charlie down gently. Even though he had left her, he did still love her and hated what he was doing to her. He could see how much Charlie didn't want things to be over between the two of them, despite what he did to her.

"So that's it" Charlie said "We are over and there's nothing that I can do to make you change your mind?"

Angelo shook his head lightly as he looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry Charlie, but I want to be with Nicole" Charlie bit her lip to stop even more tears falling. Upon hearing Angelo's words she felt like her heart was being ripped out. It hurt her so much to hear that the man she was so in love with wanted someone else.

"Sorry" Charlie said sounding surprised. "I thought that word would have surfaced before now"

"Charlie, I'm -"

"Yeah, you're sorry" Charlie pursed her lips together as she lightly rubbed her stomach. "So did you only come around for the rest of your things?" Charlie asked. Part of her was hoping that Angelo wanted to talk to her about giving things another go, but given the conversation that they had just had, she now knew that wasn't the case.

"Pretty much" Angelo nodded as he scratched the side of his head.

"What is it?" Charlie questioned. Angelo gave Charlie a questioning look. "C'mon, Angelo, I know you. There's something else you want to tell me" Angelo took a step forward and took Charlie's hand into his and led her to the couch, where they both sat down. He looked at Charlie's tear stained face and exhaled lightly. He hated what he'd done to her and knowing how much Charlie was wanting to be with him despite the fact that he had cheated made him feel even worse.

"I wanted this to come from me" Angelo said "So, you are the first one to know. We both thought that you deserved to find out from me, and not Colleen, because you know what she's like once she hears a bit of gossip" Angelo laughed lightly trying to lighten the mood in the room but Charlie just stared at him blankly, with so much hurt being shown in her usually sparkling blue eyes.

"Angelo, what is it?" Charlie asked.

"Nic and I think it would be best to get a clean break from here. You know, how we got together, me, Nic and Georgie going about here, acting like a family, we don't want to throw that in your face, so we are moving away" Angelo said tentatively.

"Angelo, you don't need to move away….you can't move away" Charlie said immediately thinking of their unborn baby.

"Charlie, I think we have too" Angelo said "You clearly need -"

"Angelo I can accept that you don't want to be with me" Charlie said, once again on the verge of tears and having to accept that Angelo didn't want to be with her, no matter how much she wanted to be with him. "But you can't move away from here. I need you to stay here because -"

"Charlie" Angelo interrupted as he once again took hold of her and rubbed it gently. "We are moving. We have an apartment already and I have venues to look at to open up a new restaurant, I've already sold my half of the restaurant to Brax, we have the flights booked…." Angelo trailed off as he saw Charlie pursing her lips together as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

"Flights?" Charlie questioned "Angelo, where are you moving too?"

"Italy" Angelo said after a lengthy pause. "We both want to just get out there and see a different part of the world. We think it would be great for little Georgie to grow up in the sun by the ocean and -"

"Angelo, you live in Australia, there's plenty sun and ocean here for George. You can't move to Italy"

Angelo shook his head lightly as he stood up from the couch. "Charlie, Nic and I are going to be together and we are moving to Italy. There's nothing you can do or say that's going to make me change my mind" Angelo started to make his way to the front door. Charlie knew she had to tell him about the baby and she knew it had to be now. She took a deep breath before she stood up and turned to face Angelo, who had his hand on the door handle.

"Angelo, you can't move to Italy, because I'm pregnant"

Please let me know if its worth carrying on:/

Danni


	3. Chapter 3

thank you so much for the reviews, I'm not so sure about this chapter, Hopefully it's okay.

Chapter 3

Ruby knocked hard on the door of the Braxton house, hoping that her boyfriend was in to give her some much needed comfort. Although Charlie and Ruby had had a small talk before Angelo had arrived at the house, Ruby still had a lot of steam she wanted to blow off, and felt it would be better if she didn't talk to Charlie about it. She knew how much her mother was hurting and didn't want to make things worse for her by making Charlie concentrate on Ruby's feelings instead of her own. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door opened and she found Casey standing at the other side. She jumped up and threw her arms around him as she burst into tears. "Hey, Rubes" Casey said softly as he wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?"

"Nic, Angelo, Charlie, the baby, everything's a mess" Ruby cried into her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Hey, c'mon" Casey placed a soft kiss on top of Ruby head "Let's go in and talk about this, yeah?" Casey said as he pulled back from the hug and lightly rubbed Ruby's arms. Ruby nodded in response to Casey before following him through the house and into his bedroom. They sat down on the bed, and Casey gently ran his hand through Ruby's hair before he tucked it behind her ear, not saying anything, but just waiting for Ruby open up about what was bothering her.

"We were on the beach talking, me and Charlie" Ruby started as she sniffed back her tears. "They were there to acting like a happy little family, throwing it in our faces" Ruby spoke with anger in her tone as she looked up at her boyfriend. "I lost my best friend and my father figure, mum has lost the love of her life…..and Case she's just found out she's pregnant….everything is such as mess and I don't know what I can do to help Mum"

"Rubes, all you have to do is be there for her and let her talk about how she feels and be that shoulder for her to cry on. You just being around her probably helps her so much" Casey said as he put his arm around Ruby and gently rubbed her arm. Ruby nodded lightly at Casey's advice.

"Yeah I guess so" Ruby sighed lightly "She's scared to have this baby alone. She hasn't said that to me, but I know she is"

"Well has she not done it herself before?" Casey asked "I mean you never mention your dad and I've never seen him around, so I figured she'd always been on her own with you"

"Ehm…" Ruby paused not knowing what to say. She didn't feel ready to tell Casey the truth about her parentage, but knew she would have to tell him something. "She wasn't alone" Ruby shook her head "My grandparents helped Charlie a lot" Ruby hoped this would be enough to silence Casey.

"Why do you always call your mum Charlie?" Casey questioned "Is it some whole young parent doesn't want to be called 'mum' cos it makes her sound older thing?" Casey laughed lightly at his comment.

"Case I didn't come around here to talk about my parents" Ruby said louder than intended, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Okay, sorry" Casey raised his eyebrows. "Rubes, Charlie isn't going to be on her own, as much of an idiot Angelo is for what he did to Charlie I don't see him turning his back on his kid"

"If you ask me he doesn't deserve to know" Ruby spat.

"Rubes" Casey said "I know he hurt your mum, and you, but he does deserve to know that he going to be dad and the baby deserves to have its father in it life"

"I never thought you'd say that" Ruby said, surprised with Casey's comment.

"Why's that?" Casey asked.

"Well after what your dad did to your mum, I didn't think that you would think that way"

"Yeah, I hate my dad for what he did to my mum, but at the end of the day, he is still my father and I would have loved for him to have been a part of my life. I mean, don't you wish on some levels that you knew your dad?"

"No" Ruby shook her as a look of disgust washed over her face. "I'm glad I didn't have anything to do with him"

"Ruby what…" Casey stopped talking as he saw the look forming on Ruby's face. Talking about her father was something she had never done, and that didn't look like it was about to change. "So this thing with Nic" Casey said bring the subject back to what Ruby had originally wanted to talk about. "Do you think you will ever be friends with her again?"

"No way" Ruby answered "I can't betray Charlie like that. Nic is responsible for the break-up of my Mum's relationship and she broke up my family, Case I don't want anything more to do with her"

"You know Rubes, your mum is pretty cool sometimes, I don't think she'd grudge you being friends with Nicole again one day"

"That's what she told me" Ruby said "But I don't want anything more to do with Nicole. She ruined my family. Her and Angelo both made me feel like I have no-where to belong anymore" Ruby said sadly as she bowed her head down.

"Hey, Rubes" Casey said "You have your Mum. When you two do get along, you have something really special, you'll always have her. And you have me. So, you belong here, with Charlie and me" Casey smiled as he put his hand under Ruby's chin and gently pushed her head up so she was facing him again. "I love you Rubes" Casey said softly "And I'm not going anywhere"

Ruby smiled upon hearing Casey say those three little words for the first time. Ruby had said it on a number of occasions but Casey had never said it back. "I love you too" Ruby smiled before she leaned in and kissed Casey softly on the lips.

*****

Angelo walked in the house and ran straight up to the bedroom, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, his head spinning with the news Charlie had just told him. Nicole walked across the room, having just placed George down in the cot for his nap. "Hey" Nicole smiled as she gently turned Angelo's head to face hers and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Angelo returned the kiss for a moment, before he pulled back and looked away from Nicole. "You okay?" Nicole questioned as she sat back in the bed and looked up at her boyfriend.

"Baby" Angelo said quietly "She's having my baby"

"What?" Nicole said sounding shocked "Charlie's pregnant?" Angelo nodded lightly unable to say anything back to Nicole. "How far is she? Have the doctors confirmed it yet?" Nicole questioned.

"I don't know" Angelo shook his head lightly "She just said I couldn't move to Italy because she was pregnant"

"So she told you this after you told her about our plans to move to Italy?" Nicole asked and Angelo nodded.

"Yeah. I told her our plans and that nothing she could do or say would stop me leaving and then she said she was pregnant"

"I don't believe her" Nicole shook her head.

"What, you think she is lying?" Angelo asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"Well, yeah" Nicole said as she stood up from the bed. "Think about it Angelo. She clearly wants you back and then when you tell her you are leaving the country with me and nothing that she can say or do will stop that from happening she tells you she is pregnant" Nicole said as she walked across the room and leaned against the wall.

"Nic" Angelo shook his head as he stood up. "She wouldn't lie about this"

"You don't think?" Nicole asked "Angelo she was devastated when you left her for me. If she wants you back maybe she thinks this is a way of getting you. I just wouldn't trust her until you go to a scan and see that baby for sure"

"Well, I suppose" Angelo scratched the back of his head as he walked over to Nicole. "I'll go and talk to her again tomorrow and see if she can give me proof" Angelo said.

"I think that's wise" Nicole smiled as she wrapped her arms around Angelo's neck and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You know what I love?" Nicole asked as she pulled back from the kiss and looked up into Angelo eyes.

"What, besides me?" Angelo grinned as he began kissing Nicole's neck softly.

"Mmm….yes, besides you" Nicole smiled as she pulled her head back so she was looking at Angelo again. "I love that we can do what we want whenever we want and we don't have that fear of being caught"

"I love that too" Angelo grinned before he began kissing Nicole, the kiss becoming more and more passionate. The couple began pulling at eachother's clothes as they made their way over to the bed.

*****  
Leah found Charlie sitting on the couch, her knees up against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. "Hey, the door was open, I hope you don't mind me just walking in" Leah said softly as she sat down on the couch next to Charlie. As she looked at her friend she saw that her eyes were red and puffy, and it was clear that her friend had been crying. "Hey, Charlie" Leah said sympathetically.

"He left" Charlie said as she kept staring straight in front, not looking around at Leah. "He just left"

"I know" Leah said softly as she gently rubbed Charlie's shoulder in comfort. "I know he left you, but Charlie -"

"No" Charlie shook her head "I told him and he just left" Charlie looked around at Leah as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You told him what?" Leah asked feeling confused as to what Charlie was on about.

Charlie looked at Leah as she pursed her lips together. "I'm pregnant Leah" Charlie cried.

"Charlie" Leah said softly as she pulled Charlie into a hug.

"What am I supposed to do?" Charlie asked "I told him I was pregnant and he just left. What does that say about him wanting this baby?"

"I'm sure it was just a shock for Angelo" Leah said trying her best to keep her calm as if she was being honest, this news shocked her also. "Once it sinks in, he'll come right back around and be ready to talk about what you are going to do"

"What am I going to do?" Charlie questioned "This is such a mess Leah. I love him so much and to have his baby when he is setting up happy families with Nicole and George…..he said they were moving to Italy….I can't have his baby in Australia if he is in Italy. He won't can….this baby needs a father, he needs…."

"Italy?" Leah said sounding shocked with Angelo and Nicole's plans. "Charlie I am sure that now he knows you are having his baby he won't move to Italy. Angelo will want to be part of his child's life"

"I hope so" Charlie sniffed back more tears. "Leah, I'm so scared"

"Hey, Charlie, what are you scared for?" Leah asked.

"Because it's a baby" Charlie answered "I'm not ready for this" Charlie shook her head as she looked down. "And I'm on my own now. It would be hard enough to do this even if I was still with Angelo, but now I'm on my own and if he does still move away with his new little family then -"

"Then you'll have me and Miles, Morag, Ruby, Bianca….Charlie, you're never going to be left on your own with this child" Leah rubbed Charlie's back in comfort as she spoke to her friend. "So many people here in the Bay love you and will be here to help you. But Charlie, I don't think this is something you have to worry about because I don't see Angelo as the type of guy to turn his back on his own child"

"Thanks, Leah" Charlie smiled at her friends words. "You've really been great since…." Charlie trailed off unable to finish her sentence.

"Hey, it's alright. That's what friends are for" Leah smiled. "Now, have you had anything to eat today?" Charlie shook her head lightly in response. "Well that's no good" Leah said as she stood up from the couch. "You have to eat; especially now you are eating for two. Let me cook something up for you" Leah said as she made her way to Charlie's kitchen.

Please review, Danni


End file.
